The Stately Oaks Plantation, located in
the metro Atlanta Clayton County, was built nearly two centuries ago in
1839. Since then, it has gone through years and years of wear and tear;
however, it was eventually restored by Historical Jonesboro, Incorporated in
Clayton County, Georgia. It is designed in the style of Greek Revival
plantation homes, setting the standard for authenticity among other
historical buildings.
Stately Oaks is the epitome of Southern history and hospitality. It served as the model for Tara, the home of the famous Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, a novel concerning the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War. The plantation now is a stunning example of the past. Everything from the white columns to the rocking chairs on the porch resemble the tenets of Southern living in the nineteenth century.
The beautiful mansion in Clayton County prides itself on hospitality, as the plantation offers tours and other programs that all one to step back two centuries to antebellum life. It gives one an accurate view of the rural South of the mid-1800s. The restored Stately Oaks has retained its original log kitchen and other buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop and Juddy's Country Store, dating from 1894.
Throughout the year the plantation holds special events, such as Georgia Folklore by Moonlight, in May; and the Tara Ball, in September. In August, Stately Oaks is draped in mourning, to commemorate the evacuation of Jonesborough, as it then was spelled, in 1864.
Everything about Stately Oaks is accurate and informative. No wonder it is one of Metro Atlanta's best places to get a glimpse of antebellum life as it was!